Analytical Hypnotherapist and Psychological Astrologer Ana Isabel has interviewed a number of well-known astrologers on her brilliant Lightways podcast, including Christina Rodenbeck, Victor Olliver, Alex Trenoweth, most recently Steven Forrest – and here is my interview with Ana which we did on 12 July. I am still amazed at how much she got out of me!! (I’m a Mercury conjunct Saturn/Pluto person, not known for giving away much…)
So – grab a coffee, (or something stronger!) kick off your shoes, put your feet up, and have a listen. We really enjoyed ourselves. Hope you do too!
And – Leo New Moon blessings!!
100 words copyright Anne Whitaker/Ana Isabel 2022 Licensed under Creative Commons – for conditions see Home Page
Sister-in-law Julie, visiting daughter Ciara in London, found time to drop by The Astrology Shop in Covent Garden, check out ‘Postcards…’, and say “Hello” to the Shop’s proprietor (and legend) Barry Street. Thanks all!!
(from Dr Armand Diaz, published Spring 2022 in the USA’s NCGR MemberLetter)
When was the last time you curled up in your favorite chair and opened up an astrology book that you knew was going to be informative, entertaining, and would really get you to think?
Pretty often, if you’ve been reading the books I’ve been reviewing in this and past editions of Memberletter. But Postcards to the Future offers something different, because it’s a collection of essays on a wide range of topics, from specifics like the cycles of the planets, to professional issues like ethics, all the way to the “Big” questions about astrology, life, the universe, and everything.
That’s a tall order, but Anne Whitaker is up to it, as she takes a heart-centered and thoughtful approach to the topics. The essays contained in this book were also written over time, so that they are the products of the author’s reflection and consideration. One outstanding characteristic of her writing, to me at least, is that Whitaker doesn’t come from one hundred percent within the realm of astrology. As much as she is an astrologer, and an accomplished one at that, and as much as she has extensive knowledge and experience, she comes across as curious about astrology, and that curiosity leads to an openness that is very refreshing. There’s no dogmatic insistence that she has the right answer, and no tacit understanding that the reader will agree with everything she says.
One of my favorite essays is on “The Art of Astrology: Healing, Wounding, Or Both?”, an extended discussion of how astrology helps, but also how it can wound. Encouraged by the report of a one-time client she had seen years ago, Whitaker asks her long-term students to write about their experiences with astrology. Typical of her style, the author assumes little going in, and is cautious in dealing with the (encouraging) results.
Science and astrology is always fertile ground for debate, and Whitaker doesn’t disappoint. After a brief introduction to the topic, she states – correctly – that “I know it’s not like me to rant.” Her first short essay in this section should be required reading for astrology students, not because it will help convince skeptics (it will not), but because astrologers themselves need to understand enough about why astrology can be valid while not fitting into the scientific-materialist paradigm.
There’s so much more. A section on the Moon. Mundane transits, like Saturn’s ingress into Aquarius. There’s a section on fate, and one on teaching. Throughout all the many topics, Anne Whitaker’s friendly, comforting, insightful style pervades, inviting discussion. She’s probably out on a walk in the lonely Scottish landscape, and you’re curled up in your favorite chair. Have some tea. And read this great astrology book.
Here is another lovely review of my latest book ‘ Postcards To The Future’ this time from Trish Marin of the Astrology Quarterly magazine, from the January/March 2022 Issue, Vol 86, No 4.
“Postcards…”
Thank you, Trish!
“…Anne Whitaker’s mercurial musings weave through the last quarter century, unpicking some of the highlights of astrological patterns and mundane events. Postcards To The Future reveals the correspondences and synchronicities between our everyday lives and planetary movements in a convincing display of astrology of the moment.
The book is an entertaining compendium of some of Anne’s prolific blog posts and articles published over the years by a wide variety of sources. Broad in scope, it whizzes authoritatively through planetary cycles, notable conjunctions, typical beginner’s questions, interview Q&A and correspondence, while scattering generous gems of astrological wisdom.
As an astrology teacher and meticulous researcher, Anne provides clear explanations of some complex concepts presented in an engaging and memorable way. As she explains in the book, she was initially a sceptic, until her ‘encounter’, described here in humorous detail. Throughout, the astrology is brought to life with witty and amusing examples and stories from her own life experiences and those of her clients and students. Sprinkled with literary references and philosophical reflections it makes an enjoyable, illuminating read.
I felt compelled to reach for the ephemeris and to look again at the Jupiter/Uranus conjunctions and the part they played in my own past adventures. Secondary progressions had always seemed a rather subtle, internal influence but I was prompted to re-examine their impact with some unexpected insights.
Anne admits to being obsessed by Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein, and has written of her synastry with Dolly the Sheep, as Frankenstein’s real-life enactment. Furthermore, Mary Shelley has a twenty-first century counterpart who, like her, is sounding a siren for the future of the earth; Greta Thunberg, born nearly two hundred years later, carries her message forward.
A mercurial book, suitable for both beginners and experienced astrologers, delivered in bite sized chunks it can be dipped into or savoured in larger portions. I highly recommend it to all our readers…”
I know of what I speak, being a reformed dismisser myself. Readers of this blog may recall the tale of my being stopped in my dismissive tracks by a startling prediction – made as a result of a chance encounter with astrologers in a launderette in Bath, England – that I would in fact become an astrologer, too. They were right. You can find the full story in the Fate section of my latest book “Postcards to the Future”.
Moving from ignorant dismissal of a tradition going back at least six thousand years, to gradual acceptance of its validity based on study and experience, was one of the most profound and humbling processes of my entire life.
In this 8 minute reading, “Astrology is a load of rubbish!” Please, NOT that tedious old trope again…” I present the third spoken extract from “Postcards’ …“ sixty essays, articles and columns I’ve had published in a range of websites, magazines and journals since 1995 including Astrodienst, The Mountain Astrologer, Dell Horoscope, and the UK’s Astrological Journal: my ‘Mercurial Musings’.
I hope you enjoy what I have to say!
I’m so pleased that “Postcards to the Future” has been collecting great reviews so far – all five stars. Here is the most recent one, from master astrologer Steven Forrest, USA:
Like a long talk with a wise friend . . .
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2022
Verified Purchase
‘…Reading Anne Whitaker’s book felt like having lunch and a wide-ranging, fascinating conversation with a friend, only to look down at my watch and realizing that cocktail hour had arrived. Time flies, in other words. I’ve been in the world of serious astrology for a long time and most of what I read are things I have heard before. Such books serve a purpose, but at this point I don’t get much out of reading them myself. Not Anne’s book! I found myself turning the pages as if it were a novel, and rarely did ten pages go by without me learning something new or thinking of something in a new way. She’s not only had a lot of experience, she’s has digested it and turned it to real wisdom. My only frustration was that she wasn’t sitting there with me so I could interrupt and say, “You know what THAT makes me think of!” Thank you, Anne — with these luminous pages, you have advanced our cause…’
Steven Forrest and “Postcards…”
Thank you so very much, everyone who has reviewed, promoted in various ways, and purchased “Postcards…”. I am so grateful to you all!
>….ie today, a fantastic review of my new book ..’Postcards to the Future‘ by Karin Hoffman of the world-renowned Astrodienstwebsite:
Astrology Shop, Covent Garden, London Photo supplied by Alex Trenoweth, author of “Mirror Mirror”
Karin says: ...”Present and future astrologers will find in this deep and varied collection nuggets of pure gold, forged in a lifetime, collected and polished for display and – most importantly – for enlightenment and use…”
To read the whole review – and hopefully treat yourself or a friend, student of astrology, or interested member of the public who wants to know more about the depths and delights offered by astrological knowledge to a copy of ‘Postcards…’ – here it is:
